Blogging 101: Page Views, Stats and More
Our “Blogging 101” series continues today with a boring (in comparison) topic. What might this be? Well, it’s taking a look at the technical side of blogging and what that ensues. Five years into my blogging journey and I will be upfront: I am still clueless (for all intents and purposes) about analytics and all this entails. But I have learned MORE about the ins and outs in the last year than I did in the first four years of blogging. Let me just say this to get us started: if ever you thought these things didn’t matter, they do. I’ll clarify more of this down below, so let’s get started.
BLOGGING 101: PAGE VIEWS AND STATS
Page Views | I never paid any attention to my page views that I can remember until more recently when I began to open up to advertising. (This is another topic that is controversial, but isn’t one I’m going to talk about exclusively for today’s purposes.) Let me say this: pageviews aren’t the end-all for a blogger. Getting caught up in them isn’t healthy even if you are in this for the “bigger picture” as opposed to the sheer joy. Are they important? Yes.
Let me clarify. If you’re a hobby blogger who simply enjoys the outlet of writing and aren’t concerned with stats, then you needn’t worry about upping your page views.
If you’re a blogger who is serious about turning your blog into a professional outlet (a controversial topic we can discuss in a future post if there’s interest), then page views are important. For book bloggers, some publishers and/or authors also have a specific requirement that must be met before they’ll add you to their list of approved bloggers or influencers.
How to boast your page views?
The remedy for my sluggish page views is simple: social media. It amazes me how much my stats spike when I’m active on social media. The one that works to the advantage best (for me) is Twitter, so this is why I invest so much time in Twitter (if you’d like to know more about how I use Twitter to its best benefit, let me know). But depending on the blog/person, I think this can
be different for everyone. Some bloggers might find Pinterest or Facebook to their best advantage. You simply need to check your stats and see what helps most.
Tips To Boost Your Stats | As I said above, one of the best ways to boast your stats is utilizing social media. The pros are that most accounts are free to create. The cons are keeping up with multiple accounts can be time-consuming. Let’s look at some helpful tips.
Consistent Content | I have no proof this helps, but personally, as a reader of blogs and a blogger, I believe consistent content assists in readership. I do notice my blog readership will drop off if I’ve had a lax publishing week, but again, this could be due to other patterns for whatever reason.
For myself, I don’t like to publish multiple times a day or feel pressure to publish something 7 days a week. Ideally, I like to publish 4-5 times a week.
TweetDeck | Keeping a social media updated can be daunting and overwhelming for some of us. Fortunately Twitter has many apps that are there to help with this. These apps let you schedule tweets. I use Tweet Deck and love it. Seriously, it’s a blogger survival tool. When I have the time (I usually take a day or two every week or bi-weekly, depending on time), I sit down and schedule tweets like nobody’s business. Sometimes (if I’m lucky), I get them scheduled two weeks out. Of course, as you add new content to your blog, you will want to open Tweet Deck and add your new posts to the varying posts you have already scheduled.
That’s a wrap for today. If you have any specific questions or would like to see something discussed in greater specificity, let me know.
Thanks for visiting! Come back soon.
Disclosure: this series was created with you, the reader, in mind. The tips myself and the contributing bloggers have shared aren’t the only methods on how to blog. They’re simply a collection of helpful ideas and tips that we’ve found useful.
I'd love to learn more about utilizing twitter! Right now I focus mostly on Facebook since that's what I'm most comfortable with, and branching out a little on Instagram since I love photography.
Also interested in learning more about the controversy over advertising and transitioning to a professional outlet… why do some people have an issue with either of those?
Hi, Heidi. My apologies for not replying earlier. So sorry!
That's awesome! If you have a niche with photography, USE it on IG or wherever you're comfortable. And FB might be a really good source of traffic for you and your blog, which is awesome too!
As for controversy, many think that if book bloggers look for ways to monetize their trade, then that means they are in this for revenue as opposed to doing it for the love of books. I don't agree with that line of thinking, but it is out there.
Omg I need to learn how to use tweetdeck and schedule tweets because that would be sooo helpful. I actually like have a sticky-note on my desktop with tweets I've thought up but it's not a good traffic time haha.? So having them scheduled would so help! And I like your analysis of pageviews here. *nods* All very spot on. (Also I've been blogging for 5 years, too, and feel utterly clueless mostly. *hi five*) I do focus a lot on my pageviews because I do use my blog to sell things so engagement is important for me hehe.
I agree, Cait. Page views ARE important if you want to take your web page to the "next level" or you are using it as a platform to sell something or earn a little extra revenue. That said, I think it's also important to enjoy the process and have fun with the experience. :)
SO appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Good luck with Tweet Deck – I LOVE it, and in fact need to schedule some tweets again. :)
PS: if you'd ever like to share any of your knowledge and write something for this series, you'd be MOST welcome. Love your writing and the wit you incorporate. :)
I'm kinda curious about what your page views look like after five years of blogging hihi. I don't care about my daily page views, but I do like to see how many people read my reviews to compare the prefered genres and titles.
My page views are pretty slim in comparison to what I'd imagine large market blogs receive, but in the last year, I have seen slow albeit steady growth and I'm so grateful people still visit and even READ this blog. Without an audience, I wouldn't keep blogging because as we all know this is a lot of work no matter how much we love. :)
I think it's wise NOT to be caught up in page views, but if you want to take your blog/site to the next level, you do have to put some work into improving this aspect of your web page.
Thanks so much for reading, Lola! Feel free to leave any questions you have on our Blogging 101 Form. I have another blogger sharing about starting a blog later this week, and am going to contact some more bloggers whom I respect to join the series. :)
Fun and helpful post! I need to check out TweetDeck and get more organized!
Right!? I need to be more organized, Courtney. It's a battle I'm constantly fighting as a blogger. And suspect I always will. ;)
Pageviews… aka, the bane of my existence ? In seriousness, I used to check wayyyy too obsessively, and it was all fine and dandy when they were going UP… but when the descent happened? Yeah, it's ugly. So I had to uninstall the app for my phone, and only let myself check if I absolutely HAD to, and I have felt much better. I didn't know you could use TweetDeck to schedule, either! I have to do that! I use Buffer mostly, which is good, but sometimes I think I need a secondary option, because Buffer doesn't let you tag photos, and sometimes, you need to. (Not often, but sometimes haha.)
Also, YES, let's talk advertising! I want to do it, but I am not sure how, frankly. I don't have any moral issues with it- it's clear when something is an ad, I think as long as you're open and honest, we SHOULD try to keep our heads above water. I know for me, blogging isn't cheap! So I would absolutely LOVE to read your thoughts on that topic! Great post!
Wise words, Shannon. It can be frustrating which isn't good for anyone. I've become more aware of it in recent months because I am serious about my blogging avenue and have enjoyed a small but decent season of growth for which I'm thankful. I love this community/world so it's nice to see it do well.
TweetDeck is epic. At least for me. I know there are probably better or just as good apps, but that's what I use. As for Buffer, I do have an account there, but haven't looked much into what it can do, so thanks for sharing. :)
Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it – and awesome! I'll set to work on an advertising post and see what comes of it. :)
As always, thank you so much for visiting, Shannon – and my apologies for the delay in replying. :)
I have had a couple of conversations about social media and monetizing lately and it really comes down to organization and time. Twitter and Instagram are my favorites by far and where I see the most interaction so that's what I stick too, but I would like to communicate more there. I have used TweetDeck for Twitter chats and need to use it more. I use TinyTorch too. Maybe this year with the kids finally in school I'll be more productive there…
I agree. It does all come down to organiztioin. Earlier this summer I was "on top" of scheduling tweets, but in these last couple months, not so much. There is a difference in my stats because of that. But, ah well. Sometimes other things need to take priority and that's okay.
I've not heart of TinyTorch, so thanks! Always glad to check out another blogging tool and see what it's like. We need all the help we can get with this #BloggerLife, right!? ;)